


Clipped

by akitkatbar



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Animal Characteristics, Animal Traits, Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou are Bros, Cat Family, Crow Family, Gen, Hinata Shouyou & Kozume Kenma Friendship, Hurt Hinata Shouyou, Hurt/Comfort, Kemonomimi, Mother Hen Akaashi Keiji, Owl Akaashi Keiji, Owl Bokuto Koutarou, Seijoh's Team are Wolves, Shiratorizawa are eagles, Shouyou's going home, everyone's got animal characteristics, first hq fic and its dark af, idk where I'm going with this fic tbh, its just me venting, the beginning is kinda dark oops, vent fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-06-05 21:30:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15179795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akitkatbar/pseuds/akitkatbar
Summary: They clipped his wings. They knocked him out and pulled and plucked. They clipped the crow's wings, not caring if he ever flies again.(AU where the Karasuno team are crow-people, the Nekoma are cats, and Fukurodani are owls)





	1. flight was plucked from my wings

**Author's Note:**

> started as a vent fic, and i'm working on another bird-folk fic but not HQ. i have a bird feeder and the birds that live near my balcony are very territorial of the bird feeder. rip in pieces me, i just wanna sleep in.
> 
> (they all use first names, and i don't actually know who the people/beasts that plucked hinata's wings are... i'll figure it out later)
> 
> if i don't update ever again its cause the heat wave in the midwest killed me.

They clipped his wings. They clipped closer and closer to where its considered painful and dangerous. Although the people, these _beasts_ , doing this to him had _said_ they were licensed with dealing with the rare bird-folk, even when one of the larger males had forcefully knocked out the boy with orange hair with a few punches to his face and temple.

It was surprising that the young crow-child wasn’t dead.

He was still conscious, the others agreed silently. As they plucked and pulled at his raven-colored wings the boy would whine and groan, his eyes squeezing tighter and pain painted across his face. The whines grew more shrill as they plucked, blood seeping in between his feathers, making the shine go dull and matte. The people didn’t seem to care.

They did care enough to slap him awake when they were done, inject some liquids through a poorly done IV, and dump him outside their warehouse. The boy clawed at his arms, feeling violated and tormented, still not fully understanding why.

His small chirps and cries echoed in the dark alleyways where he blended into.

* * *

By the sun cracking across the horizon the next morning, the boy was starving and had found a makeshift shelter next to a dumpster a few blocks away from where he was dropped. His injuries had healed a bit, blood had dried and crusted up and he tried his best to not pick and scratch at the new scabs.

He needed to get back to his family. His home. He wonders if they’ve realized he’s missing…

A soft mewl from the other side of the dumpster startles the bird, his legs already outstretched and his bare heels hitting against the dirty cement. He held back a cry, he doesn’t know (or want to know) if the beasts will be back to continue to violate him. 

Another mewl, a bit louder, echoed again from the opposite side. The orange-haired boy figured for a split second that maybe, just maybe, whoever it was making the noises can help him. He carefully got onto all fours, his wings stiffly close to his back. 

He crawled over as quietly as possible and noticed another boy. Maybe a year or two older than himself, the boy looked different. This boy had cat ears sitting on top of his bleached hair, his dark roots showing. One of his ears was a dark orange-like color, while the other was mostly black, with light orange spotting.

The cat boy’s eyes were sharp, golden like sweet honey. He was frozen in admiration and fear. Koushi-kun has always told him that cats liked to prey on birds, especially small ones like himself. He couldn’t hide his scared yelp inside, and the boy looked to him, his eyes adjusting to the darkness.

His tail stood up, the end curled a bit and waving side to side curiously. The cat boy approached the crow carefully, as if he knew to not scare him away. He froze in place, realizing he couldn’t fly away with his wings battered and bloody.

The other boy sat in front of him, his right hand outstretched for the smaller crow. His piercing gold eyes didn’t leave his shaking form once, “Are you okay? You’re hurt.”

The first words he hears for _days_ and its to ask if _he’s okay_. He couldn’t even will himself to stop the tears flowing freely from his eyes, rivers draining themselves from his face and dripping to the cold, gross floor. The other didn’t question, didn’t hit the crying boy; he just watched instead, waiting for him to calm himself down.

When the air around them lightened as the crow sniffled and rubbed at his nose roughly, the boy started again. Quietly and softly, he raised his hand again, his ears pulled back and his tail lowered. “I’m Kenma. I promise I won’t hurt you… I can help you.” His ear twitched upwards and to the side at a noise. 

Kenma turned his head sharply to where the sound originated and he hissed, his small lips pulled back in a snarl to show his small canines. The crow shuddered.

He noticed, turning back to him, “I promise no one will hurt you, he’s just an ass.”

The crow was going to open his mouth to reply, but the noise came back with an added snickering to accompany it.

“Kuroo, I swear I’ll claw your eyes out. Stop scaring him, he’s injured,” Kenma spoke into the shadows. 

The Kuroo guy walked out elegantly, his bedhead fussed around on all angles and his standing ears equally as fluffy. He yawned, scratching his torso softly with his slightly elongated claws. His sharp teeth shone against the still rising sun. 

“Kenma~ You never call me by my last name…,” he walked over to the two on the ground and squatted, his knees cracking at the sudden drop.

“I’m upset Tetsu. They hurt another one of us. Look,” he turned from Tetsurou to the crow, his focus on his own brownish eyes. “You don’t have to tell us what happened, but can we at least know your name? It might help us to get you home.”

The boy wanted to cry again at the thought of going home. He missed everyone. He swallowed audibly, “I—I’m Shouyou. I don’t, why… Why did they take me? Don’t call them… I don’t wanna go back.” He shuddered, his head hung low and his shoulders trembling.

Kenma watched silently, allowing Shouyou to feel his emotions. Tetsurou scoffed. “Who the fuck do those guys think they are? Like, fuck man. He’s just a fucking kid.”

Shouyou quaked with trying to hold back his tears, not wanting to cry and get hurt from the two cats. Kenma looked to Tetsurou and nodded, a silent command to find something for Shouyou to eat and drink. He sprung up on the balls of his feet and gave a thumbs up, then leaving the two alone in comfortable silence.


	2. hope is an unfamiliar feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two owls help their cat friends and new crow friend. The crows are distressed knowing Shouyou is out somewhere lost and afraid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (omg i haven't updated in over a month :'( )
> 
> i will try to update this fic more, although since it started as a vent fic... its got the "vent feelings" wrapped around it so if i update it and not feeling vent-y i feel like the chapter won't have the fullest effect. my brain's weird.

“What do you mean you lost him?” Daichi looked down at Tobio. “You guys were together for the whole day… How did you not realize you came back home _without_ him?”

Tobio shivered under his older friend’s gaze, his black feathers ruffling as the quake ran down his spine. His blueberry colored eyes glistened fearfully, tears threatening to spill over. Koushi watched the scene unfold, his mind split in two. He wanted to get Daichi to calm down and help Tobio retrace his steps, although he also wanted to leave to search for Shouyou alone. He hoped to any higher birds he wasn’t hurt too badly where he can’t escape a bad situation.

“Shou, please be alright,” Koushi whispered as Tobio broke down crying on the muddy grass below them.

* * *

“Kenma! What do crows eat?” Tetsurou called out from behind another huge dumpster. His lithe black tail stuck out from the garbage container like a beacon. Shouyou watched in awe at how the tall cat had moved around with little effort.

“I dunno, just not complete trash. Find something kinda fresh and easy to swallow,” the smaller cat boy replied, his golden eyes focusing on Shouyou’s own. He spoke softly to him, “He’ll just find something for you to hold you over until we can find something with more value. For now, just focus on resting and I’ll patch up your wings for you.”

Shouyou’s eyes widen at the thought of healing his wings. “…Really?”

Kenma nodded, his ears perked and a small smile across his cheeks. “I’ll stay with you until we find your home. I won’t let anything hurt you, Shouyou.”

The orange-haired crow felt tears well up and threaten to spill again. Instead, he wiped his eyes softly and exhaled, feeling safer than he has since after the kidnapping.

From a closer distance, Tetsurou had found some bread and almost rotten milk still in it’s half-gallon bottle. He put his new findings in his small bag, so they wouldn’t get lost or stolen from the other feral cats in the vicinity. He started to make his way to the opening of the alleyway, trying to gather some droppings of food and other garbage from the beasts that lived among them.

As he got nearer to the entrance, he heard strong flapping from wings and loud excited hoots. “Oh, dammit,” Tetsurou managed to mumble out before a tall owl-person landed in front of him with his arms crossed tightly under his chest.

“Tetsurou! Bro! How have you been?” The owl slapped Tetsurou’s back forcefully, almost knocking the small food bag from his hands.

“Now’s not the time for jokes, Kou. Kenma found a crow.” Tetsurou shoved off Koutarou’s hand with the same force, he was still pissed off from Shouyou’s current condition.

“A crow?” The silver-and-black haired owl questioned, his tone curious. “There aren’t any crows around this area though. How’d the little guy get here then?”

Tetsurou spit onto the warming cement with a hiss, “The asshats took him. He can’t fucking fly.”

Koutarou growled at the thought. “Where’s the little guy? Is he hurt anywhere else? I can get Keiji to help Kenma heal him. He’s got some remedies that he carries around for bird-folk,” Koutarou added.

Tetsurou smiled at his friend, “Yeah, that would help lots. Kenma is currently looking over him and patching up his wings, but you and Keiji would know more about that shit than us cats, eh?”

Koutarou grinned brightly, the statement wasn’t necessarily meant for Koutarou himself, but it still cheered him greatly. “Keiji should be swooping down soon! I wanted to stop by to see you first on our usual route… He’s bound to notice I’ve disappeared.” The owl chirped with content, looking up at the morning sky with bright eyes.

“If ya want, go see Kenma and the crow. I’ll let Keiji know when he lands that you’re with them,” the cat pats his friend’s shoulder, “I need to grab some more food stuff but I’ll be there soon, bro.”

Koutarou saluted him goofily, “Aye, aye Cap’n Nya!”

The cat hissed at the owl’s nickname, clearly upset, but Koutarou laughed and flew a bit off the ground and left, leaving the tall cat back to his own devices again. A couple of minutes after Koutarou disappeared into the darkness of the alleyway, another quieter owl landed near the tall cat, his wings closing politely behind him as he walked up to Tetsurou.

“Ah, Tetsurou. Have you seen Kou? He went his own way again during our hunt and he always ends up here…,” Keiji asked as Tetsurou waved him over.

Keiji pet Tetsurou’s messy bedhead, then behind his soft cat ears and he purred in content. “Mmm, yeah. Kou’s here. He’s with Kenma and a crow he found earlier into the morning. Kou told me that you’ve got some healing stuff for wings? The crow needs for his wings to heal.”

“Crow?” The cat nodded. “I’ve got some temporary stuff, but I’d have to go back to our nest for some more long-term healing aides. Where are they now?”

Tetsurou waved him over after picking up some day-old meat. He wrapped it carefully in some washed plastic wrap and stuffed it into his full food bag. “Follow me, I’m heading back anyways.”

* * *

“Daichi, we can’t just _leave_ the rest of them here alone? What if something happens to them when we get back?” Koushi tried blocking Daichi from leaving through the door, his wings opened wide and his arms pushing the bigger bird backwards. 

“They’ll be fine, okay? Shouyou is out there, we can’t bring everyone to go find him! It’s reckless and stupid!” Daichi yelled back at Koushi, Tadashi and Tobio watching from the side of their little home. 

Tobio snuck to his knees, his wings covering him in a desperate attempt to disappear from the scene. His mind slipped dangerously, the images of Daichi’s face, angry and red, reappeared. He tried stifling his gasping sob, instead catching the attention of his friends. “It’s my fault, it’s my fault, it’s my fault, it’s my fau—”

Koushi pushed Daichi away completely from in front of him to comfort the younger crow, “Hey, no, no. Tobio, it’s not your fault… Look at me, Tobio, please,” he tried moving his head up towards his face, but the small crow showed resistance as he wanted to curl up more inside his wings. Koushi looked to Tadashi and nodded, the freckled crow already heading out the front to find a snack to comfort Tobio.

Daichi watched as Tobio broke down and felt guilty for yelling at him earlier. Trying to fix his mistake, knowing everyone in their group was on edge after learning Shouyou wasn’t there to cheer them up, he kneeled down next to the sobbing boy and pulled his body close to his chest. He pet his hair with soft, even strokes, his other hand brushing the top of his feathers just as soft.

“We’ll find him, Tobio. Everything will be okay, I promise,” Daichi whispered to Tobio as he sobbed harder into the older’s chest.


	3. feeling like life isn't out to get me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keiji fixes up Shouyou and tells him good news. Next is to figure out how to get ahold of the crows with the help of some other teams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only reason i struggled with this chapter for so long is: 1. do i make inuoka & shibayama cats or dogs? and 2. what the fuck is seijoh's animal mascot?? and 3. is shiratorizawa eagles?
> 
> the answers:  
> 1\. they are both shiba inu hybrids  
> 2\. they are wolves (cause plant people are impossible) & i feel like since shouyou calls oiks "grand king", i thought oiks and iwa could be alpha wolves in their team pack  
> 3\. i made them eagles, fuck you (politely)
> 
> enjoy :)

Koutarou chirped loudly into the alleyway, announcing his arrival to the cat-people around him. Some hissed at the shrill noise, it was still too early in their minds to be so cheerful, while others mewled softly and moved around.

A tall cat rose from the shadows, yawning greatly as he stretched. His tail and ears matched the dirty silver color his hair was, and his green-hued slits narrowed further as the early afternoon light hit his face. He spotted Koutarou and waved lazily, the owl smiling brightly back at him.

“Lev!! How’s it going?” Koutarou cawed at him, watching the cat’s ears follow his voice.

Lev yawned again, still trying to wake himself up. A smaller cat hissed behind him, clawing at his eyes roughly to rid himself of his exhaustion. Kou noticed Morisuke stretch with his mouth open wide, his sharp canines catching the sun, giving them a little shine.

“Yo, Morisuke!” Koutarou called out as he passed them, giving the smaller, yet older, cat a quick wave. He mewled back in response.

Soon, Kou made his way to where Kenma and Shouyou were, noticing the duo sitting near the only two dogs in their dumpster area: Sou and Yuuki. The two shiba inu hybrids boys’ ears perked up at Koutarou’s chirps and hoots, Yuuki smiling brightly as Sou barked happily at the owl’s arrival. 

“Hey hey hey, Kenma and crew!” He looked down at the small orange-haired crow and smiled brightly, “Hey little crow!” He kneeled down in front of him, his giant silver and black wings steadying his body, “I’m Koutarou! Tetsurou told me that you’re hurt?”

Shouyou nodded sadly and whimpered. Kenma shot Koutarou a glare, a silent warning that he was already prepared to claw out the owl’s eyes if he made Shouyou upset again. 

A voice calling into the hallway stopped the small group. “Kenma? You here?” Keiji called out as he made his way deep into the alleyway. He heard other cats around the dumpsters and in the shadows, but paid no mind to them as he approached the open area where he saw sleek black wings.

Kenma’s ears picked up Keiji’s footfalls and he turned to face the standing owl, ignoring Kou’s whines, saying a quick hello before facing Shouyou again. “This is Keiji. He’s got medicine and remedies to help with healing your wings.” 

Shouyou nodded and smiled at the two. Keiji waved softly as he bent down to sit on the grimy cement. “Tetsurou said _They_ hurt you?” Shouyou nodded, shrinking into himself slightly, and Kenma flinched. “Don’t worry, I’ll get’cha patched up in no time. Kou will probably find your friends soon once you’ve healed.”

Keiji looked behind to Tetsurou, the black cat waving over Koutarou as he gave the food bag to Sou to give to Kenma. “Hey, you dumb owl. Where can you try and find the crows? I have an idea where the little bird might belong to… But the city is pretty far out from the country side. Don’t wanna get caught.”

Koutarou grinned. “I hope we’re thinking of the same group, since I’ve got an idea too… Maybe if I get ahold of their small blonde crow girl she can relay the message for Daichi… She usually flies around with their pretty raven beauty, and Hitoka always follows her.”

“Bro, if I could fly I would too,” Tetsurou snickers.

“Sucks to be a cat then, huh?”

“Shut it, bird brain.” 

* * *

Somewhere near where the crows lived, Hitoka sneezed into her sleeve. Tadashi asked her if she was feeling ill.

“No, but I think someone was talking about me,” she smiled sheepishly, accepting a cloth napkin from Kiyoko and wiping her nose softly.

* * *

The late afternoon sun warmed the two birds and the cats that circled around them. Keiji finished covering the last bit of Shouyou’s treated wings with bandages, the owl smoothing over his ruffled feathers with a caring motion.

“Okay, Shouyou. You should be good like this for the rest of the night. By tomorrow, you’ll be capable of flight. Just try not to stretch your wings for now, I don’t think I can fix anything broken without all my healing aides.” Keiji smiled at the small crow, watching as Shouyou gave him a shaky smile in return.

“I don’t— How can I repay you? I’m sure Koushi or Daichi will want me to pay you back somehow…,” Shouyou whispered, still disbelieving of his current situation.

“You’ll be fine as you are, Shou. I really don’t want to stress you out anymore than you probably currently are,” Keiji patted his messy orange hair. “I’m sure Kou and Tetsurou are figuring out how to get you back to your family.”

“We’ve figured out _who_ to contact. But… we don’t know _how_ to get in contact with her,” Tetsurou said from behind them, Kou literally following and swatting at his black tail.

“Do you know how to get in contact with Hitoka, Shouyou?” The owl-man chirped, leaning forward to rest his hands on Keiji’s shoulders.

“I’m not sure… But I think we can get either the wolf pack or the eagles that live near us to get in contact with them.”

“Wolves? Isn’t that Tooru’s and Hajime’s pack?” Tetsurou questioned, already not liking the idea of talking with Tooru’s self-centered self.

Shouyou nodded. “The Grand King has a soft spot for Tobio, although you didn’t hear it from me. Hajime keeps him in check when they interact with us… As for the eagles… Wakatoshi seems uncaring but he protects us hatchlings a lot!” 

“How can we get ahold of either of them, little crow?” Koutarou grins.


	4. flying out to help you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Koutarou and Keiji start their flight to find someone at the edge of the City. Kei bumps into two wolves worrying about Shouyou.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have returned to update! tooru, blz, chill out & just admit you like tobio-chan & chibi-chan. no one's gunna judge.

“How do we get your crows to get you? You guys are at the edge of the City, and us cats can’t really go out without being seen,” Kenma questioned the small crow, watching his brown eyes widen.

“You guys have been so nice to me, I wouldn’t want you to go through the same things I went through. I’m sure Kou and Keiji can find one of my own or maybe Tooru and Wakatoshi. They always bicker outside their bordered territory.”

“So we’ll find one of them there?” Keiji questioned the young crow, making sure he got the information right. The crow nodded, a small smile growing on his lips. “Stay here with Kenma and Tetsurou, Koutarou and I will head out soon to find them.”

* * *

Kei just wanted to relax. That’s all he asked the gods above when he had slipped out of the crow’s cave, not being able to take Tobio’s quiet sobs or Daichi’s increasing anger towards whoever took Shouyou. Koushi could barely calm down Tobio, much less his crow-mate.

Of course, however, once he flew out and glided lazily in the late afternoon breeze he would be stopped by a loud bark that rattled his brain. His golden eyes looked below him, noticing two wolves, Tooru and Hajime.

“What do you guys want? We’re pretty stressed as is without our resident sunshine,” Kei spit venomously at the pair of alphas, already annoyed that he couldn’t find peace.

Tooru took immediate offense, his groomed ears pulling backwards as he growled deeply from his chest. Hajime raised his hand quickly, as if the action were to stop the pompous wolf hybrid from attacking the crow. Kei had a lot more respect for Hajime than Tooru, and they both knew.

“We heard that Shouyou was taken. Some of the smaller hatchlings with Wakatoshi heard from some other hybrids earlier today. We,” Hajime hit Tooru in his bare stomach when the wolf scoffed, “just wanted to see if you guys were handling it well…”

Kei scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Of course we aren’t.”

“I figured as much. Tooru’s worried about little Tobio-crow… Even though the mutt won’t admit it.”

Tooru sucked in air, “I like Chibi-Crow. Even Akira and Yutarou are worried for both him and Tobio. Our whole pack is really bummed out.”

The blonde crow sighed, his emotional bar way passed his daily quota. “I’m sure—I’m sure Shouyou is okay wherever he is. He’s a strong hatchling. As for your pack… I can ask Koushi if the rest of our flock can go outside to hang out.” Kei sniffed the air, “Its already getting too stuffy in there.” 

Hajime gave him a slight smile, and Kei knew it was genuine. “Great, I’ll let our pack know. I’m sure he’s fine too. We all just worry too much.”

“Worrying too much is sometimes good, I guess.”

* * *

“Keiji are we close to the edge? We’re so far from our side,” Koutarou groaned out as Keiji flew a couple feet in front of him.

“Do you want to go home, Koutarou?” Keiji was met with silence. “If you do, then I won’t stop you. But I want Shouyou to get back home. And I know you do too.”

Koutarou chirped, his wide golden eyes scanning the distance between himself and the earth. “Oh! I think I found someone!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> went back throughout the story and changed the lines separating from them three dots to the actual horizontal line. it was bugging me & this looks so much more cleaner & easier to read :')
> 
> c u l8r


	5. planning to get your lost soul back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Owls find Kei. Kei takes them to his nest. Wakatoshi offers them help if they need it.
> 
> They plan to get Shouyou back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof a couple more chapters left before this is done! finally the crows are getting their orange sunshine back :)
> 
> enjoy & sorry for the lack of updates :)

Koutarou hooted to a blonde crow hovering close to the ground. The blonde looked up, a scowl already gracing his features as his golden honey eyes met the owl’s same golden color. “Kei! Oh man! We’ve got good news!”

Kei’s scowl only deepened into a grand frown. “You have ‘good news’? Who the hell are you? Jesus?”

Keiji landed near Koutarou, his wings neatly folded behind his back. He looked to the crow and gave him a small smile, “What Kou means is, we’ve got news on Shouyou. One of the cats found him and stayed with him until Kou and I flew in to say hello. I then tried my best to heal his wounds. We came out here to find one of the little crows to relay the information.”

“Cats? He’s in the City?” Kei stared at Keiji wide-eyed. “That _is_ good news, sorry for snapping at you Koutarou. It’s been… _stressful_ , to say the least.”

Kou chirped happily, giving Kei a big smile. “We wanted to bring Tetsurou and Kenma with Shouyou, but since they are Inner City hybrids, it’d be a lot harder for them to slip out undetected. We can probably get them to move in the middle of the night.”

Kei nodded, already knowing how They are very curious creatures and test on other weaker hybrids that weren’t sure if they were bad or not. “I’ll have to tell Daichi and Koushi, I’m sure Tobio will relax a bit too knowing Shouyou’s safe. Our nest is just a couple minutes away.”

Koutarou chirped again, “Oya? The infamous Crow’s Nest? It’s been some time since we’ve visited.”

“Lead the way then, Kei,” Keiji replied.

* * *

The three bird-hybrids flew to the crow’s nest, only stopping momentarily when Koutarou spotted Wakatoshi and his flock out of their own nest. One of his younger hatchlings, Tsutomu, had questioned Kei if he knew anything about Shouyou, ignoring a pointed glare from Eita.

Kei nodded as he kept himself in the air with his large wings, “These two saw him with the cats this morning. They’ve been caring for him until Keiji patched him up.”

The eagle sighed, pleased with the new knowledge. Wakatoshi turned to look at the black-haired kid and let out a puff of air before turning back to the crow and pair of owls. “Sorry for any rudeness and for interrupting your flight, I assume to relay the message to Daichi and Koushi?” Keiji nodded. “Very well. If you need any help, I’ll be able to aid in getting Shouyou back.”

* * *

Tadashi watched as Kei landed in front of their nest with the two owls. “Kei’s back from his break! Kou and Keiji are with him…”

“Koutarou? Dammit, that owl is so loud,” Daichi groaned under his breath, quickly wiping the frown off his face to welcome his guests warmly. Koushi held back a giggle watching his antics.

“Thank you for allowing us to visit with no warning beforehand, but we’ve got news on Shouyou. Kenma from the Nekoma Clan in the City found him, cared for him, and protected him from injuring himself with other rival hybrids or any of their own cats. After Kou dived down from our morning hunt, I tried my best to heal his wings with what I had in my bag.” Keiji’s voice was soft, almost relieved from wanting this whole madness to end and to get Shouyou back where he belongs. “He shouldn’t fly this long a distance yet, so we decided to come out here and find you so we can work a plan to get Shouyou back out where he belongs.”

Koutarou’s smile grew, “We were thinking of getting the cats to carry him to here, but it would be nearly impossible during daylight. We flew passed Wakatoshi and his flock and he offered to help if we need it. I’m probably sure your blueberry crow can convince Tooru to help as well.”

Tobio turned his head from where he had curled into a small corner, looking to his friends talking about getting Shouyou back. “I can try,” he rasped out, his throat raw from crying.

“Good! The cats just need to wait for nightfall and I’ll fly back to let them know they can move. I’ll be their lookout!” Another excited hoot came from Koutarou, “Shouyou’s going back home, that’s a promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> Edit (8.2.18): lol i’m stupid kenma’s first name isn’t kozume rip


End file.
